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Press: Panjiva data in the news

“But Frozen-related toys could not unseat the long-time, undisputed king of holiday toys, according to Panjiva’s data: Shipments of Barbie and her related toys surpassed 3,000 shipments this year—a 32% increase over last year. Other fun things that leaped over the 300-shipment mark—historically a good indicator of ‘strong performance and wide availability,’ says Panjiva—included Monster High, DohVinci, Elmo, and Nerf toys.”

“For parents wanting to provide educational toys for their children this year, Panjiva has good news: shipments of LeapFrog and VTech learning toys are both up and should be readily available. LeapFrog merchandise saw a 58 percent increase in shipments this year, reaching 788 total shipments of children’s tablets, smart stuffed animals and other educational toys and games. VTech had 803 total shipments, marking a 26 percent increase over last year.”

“With the Mexican data describing trade for all modes of transportation, Green said Panjiva is seeing a number of different pieces of global trade it previously did not have access to. And that data is broken down to individual shipping records so Panjiva can see a specific company in Mexico that is sending or receiving goods, what the specific product is, and what mode of transportation it is moving on.”

“‘If you look at coffee imports over all for the last several years, it looks like a pretty mature market,’ said Josh Green, chief executive of Panjiva. ‘There’s been a roller coaster in terms of price, but in terms of volumes, we’re talking about very modest growth — and that kind of market is usually where you see companies trying to go upmarket in terms of price and exclusivity.’”

“Panjiva.com CEO Josh Green remarked: ‘Based on our analysis, ‘Frozen’ is set to be the clear winner of the 2014 holiday season.’ Compared to last year’s period of August-October, the total shipment of goods into the US increased 5% this year, where the shipment for toys jumped 3%.”

“‘On some level, the October numbers are about the accumulation of consistent growth on the jobs front, and in the macro economy there is a momentum that has built up as there has been growth quarter after quarter, whereas in recent years there has been growth and then a drop off,’ said Green. ‘And we have gone through a sustained period of growth that is giving both businesses and consumers confidence that the economy is robust.’”

“‘Disney’s ‘Frozen’ has shown explosive momentum and continued popularity well beyond the movie’s box office life,’ said Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva. ‘Retailers, who feel confident the ‘Frozen’ craze is far from over, are betting big on the Disney blockbuster as a major driver of holiday shopping sales this year. Based on our analysis, ‘Frozen’ is set to be the clear winner of the 2014 holiday season.’”

“Shelves will be well stocked with merchandise tied to the film, with shipments of ‘Frozen’ dolls, costumes, books, games and other products having increased 470% between August and October versus the same period last year, according to data provided by Panjiva, which tracks the global trade biz. The August to October period is when retailers typically prep for the peak holiday shopping season.”

“Research firm Panjiva had some interesting statistics to share on the Frozen phenomenon. Frozen is taking over retail shelves: From July to October, there was a total of 1,508 shipments of Frozen products, up more than 570 percent from last year (Almost doubling the total number of shipments for 2013 Disney favorites, Sofia the First and Doc McStuffins, combined).”

“It’s bad timing for Big Hero 6 that it’s hitting theaters on the heels of Frozen mania. If you think every other little girl was dressed as Elsa or Anna from Frozen this Halloween, you’re not wrong. Disney’s consumer products division says it has sold more than 3 million Frozen princess dresses. (According to Panjiva, a global trade research company, retailers are stocking their shelves with 46% more Elsa dresses than Anna costumes.)”

“At any rate, I appear to be in the minority. Zombie merchandise is massively outselling vampire merchandise this year and has done so since 2012. According to shipment data from the authoritative information source on global trade, Panjiva, a different undead creature has separated from the pack this Halloween season to capture audiences across the countries: Zombies.”

“Manufacturing has succumbed to a destructive cycle: Reduced demand has led to the closing of 63,000 U.S. factories since 2000. But now that demand is returning, it seems the contract factories can’t handle it—which only encourages more foreign production. ‘The No. 1 reaction people have when looking into the U.S. is surprise and dissatisfaction about how few options there are,’ says Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, an online directory for manufacturing suppliers.”

“Target Corp. (TGT), Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST), Home Depot Inc. (HD), Samsung Electronics Co. and Sears Holdings Inc.’s (SHLD) Kmart chain were the top five importers, by weight, at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports through Oct. 14 this year, according to data compiled by Panjiva, a global trade research firm in New York. The ports handled about 149 billion kilograms (328 billion pounds) of goods last year.”

“This time of year, pumpkin flavored everything seems to have become almost a national obsession. According to Panjiva, an authoritative information source on global trade, shipments of pumpkin items have been increasing over the last several years, climaxing this year at 4,338 shipments, the highest since Panjiva starting tracking the data in 2008.”

“‘These numbers look quite strong heading into the holiday season,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green. ‘It feels like executives are betting consumers will be in a spending mood come holiday season, with the main drivers being strong macroeconomic numbers, like GDP, and jobs numbers. The key numbers for the U.S. are all trending in the right direction, but one red flag has been stock market volatility, which has the potential to spook consumers.’”

“‘The truth is, a lot of people have chased Zara’s model and virtually nobody has been able to replicate it,’ said Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, a New York-based company that connects brands with overseas suppliers. ‘Zara is collecting data in stores that is immediately fed back to its system, which is what allows it to be so responsive. If you’re not vertically integrated, you’re not going to be able to deliver Zara-type flexibility.’”

“Now there are some data points from Panjiva that suggest that the pumpkin has indeed become a mainstay foodstuff of the fall season. According to Panjiva, shipments of pumpkin-labeled items have been increasing over the last several years, ramping up this year to 4,338 shipments, the highest number since Panjiva started tracking the data in 2008.”

“They also use WIP (work in progress) software that allows them to track garments from the moment a factory receives a pattern to when the resulting products are shipped to a brand’s warehouse.’Technology is a big part of this story,’ says Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, a New York-based company that connects companies with overseas suppliers. ‘In the old days, you called and said, ‘How’s it going?’ Now there’s more visibility.’”

“Panjiva added that the total number of shipments for the month of August represents the highest level of shipments––or imports––since the company began tracking this data. And the company said that such a strong showing is a good sign for the holiday shopping season, with optimistic retailers aggressively stocking their shelves in anticipation of strong holiday sales.”

“The numbers of these shipments coming into the U.S. climbed `1% from July 2014 to August 2014. Although the typical annual trend demonstrated by Panjiva data shows that July has the highest level of imports of any month, for 2014 August had a level higher than July. According to Panjiva, this may be a sign that optimistic retailers are aggressively stocking their shelves with the expectation of strong holiday sales.”

“‘It’s not clear what their strategy is,’ says Josh Green, co-founder and CEO of Panjiva, a firm that provides global trade data to corporate customers. ‘The prospectus is all about opportunities in China, and Ma is now talking about his global ambitions. It may be all right for now because they’re doing so well, but in the medium-term, investors will look with a wary eye on any investment that doesn’t have a coherent strategy.’”

“‘A ‘Yes’ vote will likely drive up the prices of single-malt scotch in the short term,’ Josh Green, CEO and co-founder of Panjiva Inc., a data-based global trade analysis firm, said Thursday. ‘The attention lavished on Scotland will likely drive up demand for the world’s greatest beverage, as more people raise their glasses in honor of the newly independent homeland of Scotch.’”

“Panjiva’s Josh Green spoke via Skype. ‘As you look at the next 10-20 years, there is no question that we are going to see the rise of a really powerful, really vibrant middle class in China. And there is no company that is better positioned to benefit from that rise of the Chinese middle class than Alibaba,’ said Green.”

“‘There’s no question that Jack Ma is a man of big ambitions and the company he’s built has tremendous ambitions. While I understand the perspective that this is likely to be the final range, I wouldn’t count Jack Ma out when it comes to targeting the biggest IPO in history.’”

“It could usher in a new era of international transactions, which could steal dominance from U.S e-commerce leaders Amazon and eBay, although not any time soon. ‘In much the same way that you see Facebook and Google encroaching on each other’s territory… Amazon and Alibaba will encroach on each other’s territory,’ says Josh Green, co-founder and chief executive of Panjiva, a global trade information provider. ‘But we will still see Amazon as the dominant player in the U.S., and Alibaba in China.’”

“It’s the use of groundwater supplies after surface wells have dried up that has helped keep food prices low for now. And the fact that so many economies are tied together globally has also tempered food price increases and shortages, said Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, a supply chain research firm. ‘A bad crop of, say, olives in Spain can be balanced out somewhere else in the world,’ Green said. ‘But the local impact of drought can’t be ignored.’”

“‘It is always exciting to hit a new high for monthly shipments,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘Seasonally, this is what we would expect with July up from June as two things converge. One is the build up for back to school and the second being the beginning of the build up for the holidays.’”

“Panjiva, a leading intelligence platform for global trade professionals, published its First Quarter 2014 Trendspotting Analysis, revealing that despite worldwide outcries regarding labor safety in Bangladesh the country continues to be a crucial source for apparel and garments. The report showed that in the first three months of the year, 16,843 shipments entered the U.S. from Bangladesh, and a large number of apparel brands are still receiving shipments indicating companies’ unwillingness to move production away from the country.”

“In looking at the popular kids movies and shows in recent months, Panjiva also researched the characters that will likely be most popular. The graph below breaks down some of these popular characters, from Disney’s Frozen to Transformers that Panjiva expects will be showing up both on and in these backpacks, based on merchandise shipments over the same time period.”

“Do your homework. Check out the Panjiva app. Panjiva aggregates U.S. homeland security data of every container that comes into the country and makes it searchable. With the contents’ description, weight, destination, and origination, you can not only source products, but also see who your competitors use, find suppliers, and even get a picture of market share. (There, I just saved you millions!)”

“Today’s discussion topics: An overview of Panjiva and how it helps manufacturers streamline their supply chains. A couple of thought leadership topics Josh would like to discuss, including the Made in America movement: is it now or never? How has the supply chain evolved over the last decade? Last five years? What are the key challenges today’s manufacturers face? How can manufacturers use technology to streamline their supply chains?”

“Despite labor safety concerns, Panjiva’s data suggests Bangladesh is as an important source as ever; the value of U.S. imports is up 1%, compared to fourth quarter 2013 and the volume (number and weight) of shipments into the U.S. is also on the rise.”

“Green said Panjiva has thousands of customers accessing Panjiva’s data through a Panjiva interface, but he explained that they are also seeing customers expressing an interest in putting this data into their own tools. This includes investors that want to enter data into models used for investment decisions and Fortune 500 companies that want to feed the data into risk analysis tools they are developing, and start-ups that want another data source on top of which they can build businesses.”

“Research site Panjiva compiled some good data on three of this year’s blockbuster movie sequels–Transformers: Age of Extinction, X-Men Days of Futures Past, and the Amazing Spiderman 2. All of these movies have one thing in common: each was based on a comic series or toy originally intended for children or young adults. As such–like Disney cartoon movies–all are uniquely well positioned to benefit from merchandise and toy sales.”

“Some members have key expertise in certain areas that everyone else depends on. When they’re out of the office, work can grind to a standstill unless you’ve accounted for the absence in your plans. ‘Often in IT and engineering teams, there are many dependencies between people, especially those with special and rare expertise,’ Psota says. ‘When key folks are out, projects often slow down significantly. Plan ahead to mitigate the slowdown — and manage everyone’s expectations appropriately.’”

“‘Any way you look at it being up 7 percent is a good place to be halfway through the year, and these are numbers people are looking carefully at as they are thinking about what to do for the holiday season,’ said Green. ‘Healthy trade numbers combined with healthy consumer indicators suggest we are on a good path for the second half of the year.’”

“‘We are optimistic about the strength of our economy based on imports,’ the Panjiva report stated. ‘We will remain positive about U.S. imports, even if we see a dip in shipment numbers in June; typically, July or August are the strongest months for imports into the U.S. as retailers begin to gear up for the holiday season.’”

“‘With this expansion, we now have essentially comprehensive coverage of Chinese exports and imports (with the exception of firearms, tobacco, and weapons),’ he said. ‘We are very excited, because it allows us to describe trade activities across nearly all industries, and it provides our customers with a complete view of what companies that our customers are interested in are doing.’”

“Company CEO Josh Green said, with this data, ‘U.S. retailers and buyers will now be able to identify a whole new set of suppliers that have been, for all intents and purposes, invisible. Specifically, using all this data, we can now identify Chinese suppliers who have worked with European customers, but never with American customers. There are 75,000 of these companies that most buyers have never heard of!’”

“‘These numbers were good,’said Panjiva CEO Josh Green.’For the year as a whole (through April), shipments are up 7.5 percent compared to the first four months of 2013. This is consistent with what we seen in recent months, as well as what we have heard from sourcing executives in regards to their outlooks for 2014.’”

“Josh Green, Panjiva’s co-founder and CEO, said, ‘After an uneven recovery that’s moved forward in fits and starts, the sourcing community appears to be feeling remarkably good about the year ahead. A few months into 2014, trade activity would seem to validate that optimism. Through Q1, U.S. import activity was running 7% ahead of 2013.’”

“Josh Green, founder of Panjiva, which tracks global trade and sourcing, says companies are struggling to find solutions in a world where China is no longer an easy option. ‘There aren’t a lot of great alternatives for people,’ says Mr Green. ‘The reality is that they are looking around and seeing that there is good and bad everywhere.’ If Narendra Modi can face down the bureaucracy-wallahs as Indian prime minister, then perhaps India has a chance to reserve a serious spot in the global supply chain which, given its huge pool of young labour, should be a natural place to sit.”

“Panjiva recently conducted a survey to better understand the concerns, challenges, and opportunities on the minds of the global trade community. The responses were promising – most global trade professionals are optimistic about the year ahead. In addition to optimism, a few other themes emerged – notably, concern about rising manufacturing costs and an interest in exploring Africa as a sourcing destination. The results provide some guidance as to what should be on your sourcing agenda this summer.”

“If Alibaba decides to compete outside of China, it will face an uphill battle. It will certainly have enough cash to give it a go, but cash alone cannot buy success on the global stage. To succeed, Alibaba will have to articulate a global vision, build a global management team, successfully compete on a global playing field that is a bit more level than China’s — and, perhaps most importantly, solve the trust problem.”

“Alibaba also faces cultural and, more importantly, competitive challenges in the mature U.S. market that it never faced in China, which restricts access to foreign companies. ‘Whether they can compete on a truly level global playing field is an open question. As strong as Alibaba is in China, Amazon is that strong here in the U.S.,’ said Josh Green, founder and CEO of Panjiva, an intelligence platform for global trade professionals.”

“Looking at global trade numbers on a year-to-date basis, Green said total first quarter shipments are up 7 percent at 3,220,184. ‘That figure reinforces the conclusion that we are off to a strong start,’ he explained. ‘I think it also reflects what we saw towards the end of 2013, which is the feeling we are in a sustained, albeit tepid, recovery. Sourcing executives have told us that clearly they are optimistic about 2014, and the number of shipments received appear to reflect that optimism.’”

“Panjiva shows that U.S. retailers recorded a total of 4,610 Easter-related shipments during this period in 2013-2014, compared to 3,772 in 2012-13. In addition, shipments including the terms ‘Easter’ and ‘eggs’ climbed 46% to 724 from 497, while shipments including the terms ‘Easter’ and ‘bunny’ grew 21% to 635 from 521. Shipments only including the term ‘bunny’ increased a more modest 2%, to 1,735 from 1,703.”

“But despite vows by consumers to pinch pennies, many retailers seem to be stocking up on candy. So concludes Panjiva. According to analysis of shipments from December to February, the time when retailers gear up for Easter, ‘the Easter Bunny is planning to be extra generous this year, with shipments of Easter eggs and Easter candy up significantly from previous years,’ Panjiva said.”

“One of the interesting shifts Panjiva saw, said Green, was that March 2013 turned out to be the low point for 2013 global trade activity, which was a shift from previous years which had consistently seen February as the typical low point of the year. But even with this change Green said it is too early to see if a new pattern will emerge in regards to this development. ‘It was surprising last year but could be tied to when Chinese New Year fell,’ he said. ‘But if the pattern holds true again this year, it is worth digging in to see if there is a reason why March would be the new low point.’”

“‘In one way, it is a fantastic thing for American workers as their wages are, relatively speaking, higher, but what it means for manufacturing is there is a relatively small slice of manufacturing that makes sense for it to be relocated to the U.S.’ What’s more, to the extent that manufacturing does come back, Green said it is not going to be a cure all for the country’s jobs problem because it is not going to be as massive as it once was.”

“But saloons can take heart in a new data from Panjiva, which show that the number of recent shipments of Guinness Stout and Jameson Irish Whiskey to the United States are up smartly from last year…According to Panjiva, December and January are the months when most stouts and spirits are shipped to the US for St. Patrick’s Day consumption; shipping that far in advance gives importers plenty of time to ensure that such goods arrive on the shelves of barrooms and liquor stores by mid March.”

“‘If you look at the overall sentiment among the buying community, there is optimism,’ said Green. ‘And if you look at the data it suggests that it is reflected in people’s buying behaviors so all of that is very good. The one lingering concern, though, is about political wildcards, so we have actually hit a relatively stable stretch when it comes to U.S. budget politics, and we have not seen as much turmoil linger. But there is a concern that political issues could return and what is happening in the Ukraine shows how political instability can pop up quickly.’”

“Much of Panjiva’s strategic advantage, co-founder Josh Green says, lies in the long hours it’s willing to put in to acquire and parse through this far-from-fully open data, an effort its competitors aren’t willing to undertake. One sign of their success: The U.S. Customs and Border Protection bureau is now a Panjiva customer, essentially buying back its own data in a cleaned up form.”

“‘While people have been talking about it for years, it’s clear that we are finally on the path to economic recovery, yet those involved in global trade still have some warranted concerns,’ noted Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva. ‘The rising costs of manufacturing will create inflationary pressure and lead sourcing executives to seek out new regions where they can find lower costs.’”

“The number of global manufacturers shipping to the U.S in December—at 136,437—was down 5 percent from November to December and was down 3 percent compared to December 2012. ‘This data looks pretty good,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘For 2013, we ended up 6 percent higher than 2012 in terms of total shipments, and that is pretty healthy growth, which may suggest the economic recovery continues to gain steam.’”

“With rising wages being a concern, many say they are actively looking for suppliers outside China. ‘Though buyers have expressed interest in sourcing in new geographies, it’s not clear that they can quickly shift away from more expensive, established manufacturing markets,’ Panjiva said. It noted that 17 percent of the buyers it surveyed indicated that they sourced in Bangladesh and that of those, a third had shifted sourcing away from Bangladesh in the past 12 months.”

“January inventory numbers are not yet available, but Josh Green, Panjiva’s founder and CEO, predicts that those numbers will jump. Prices, however, won’t necessarily go down, he cautions. ‘The really dangerous spot for retailers is when your competitors are able to restock and satisfy demand. But if everyone had trouble, chances are there will still be demand when Furby finally arrives,’ Green says.”

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“Panjiva, a company that tracks shipments of giant cargo containers into the U.S., says that from August to October, the months when stores stock up for the Christmas gift-giving season, items based on both of those shows arrived in droves, mostly from China and Hong Kong. Panjiva says 521 cargo containers stuffed with Doc McStuffins gear landed in the U.S. during those months while 364 containers arrived with Sofia the First items. Those totals were enough to land both those properties in Panjiva’s expected top 10 list of toys for the season.”

“When retailers anticipate demand for a toy, they stock up, and the number of tractor-trailer-size shipping containers filled with smiling Barbies from Mattel arriving at U.S. ports during the critical August-through-October retailer order window was up 6% this year, hitting 2,441 and making Barbie the No. 1 most popular toy, according to Panjiva, a company that tracks imports on toys made overseas. (Shipment numbers represent each time the product term was written on a bill of lading arriving at U.S. ports.)”

“‘Typically what we see, and what this year’s data suggests, is that retailers take a portfolio approach to toys,’ Panjiva chief executive Josh Green said in a statement.’They heavily stock known, reliable toys they feel confident will sell, and then they also place smaller bets on newer toys that don’t yet have a proven sales track record but that they anticipate will be atop children’s wish lists. Sofia the First is one of the biggest bets they’ve made in recent years. This shows optimism, but the diversified approach is a reminder retailers are always keen to reduce the risk of being stuck ringing in the new year with surplus supply.’”

“Big chains such as Target, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us said they should be sufficiently stocked, but as of November 1, toy shipments from July to November to the United States were down 2 percent, compared with 2012, according to Panjiva, which tracks the data. That follows an almost 10 percent drop in 2012.”

“‘It is encouraging as we head into the holiday season to see numbers that look like these,’ said Green. ‘It certainly looks like retailers are betting that consumers will be in a spending mood this holiday season.’ This data follows decent retail sales numbers for October released last week by the National Retail Federation and the Department of Commerce and a GDP number from Commerce that was better than expected.”

“‘The macro and micro data, in conjunction with the conversations we’re having with sourcing executives at some of the world’s biggest retailers, suggest a healthy amount of optimism,’ Panjiva chief executive Josh Green said. ‘Retailers are cautiously confident that consumers are willing to open their wallets since the risk of a political meltdown—and its economic reverberations—seem to have been resolved for the moment.’”

“‘The intention now needs to shift to consumers and how they behave in this holiday season,’ he said. ‘We are seeing from the data that corporate buyers are feeling optimistic and unquestionably that is a good thing, but if consumers are not as positive heading into the holiday season it could lead to a situation where retailers are left holding too much inventory. Hopefully that does not happen. Corporate buyers have placed their bet and hopefully it is the right one.’”

“Sales rose 6 percent to $2.21 billion, beating the analysts’ average estimate of $2.17 billion. Barbie sales increased 3 percent, after posting declines in the previous four quarters. Total Barbie shipments in July, August and September rose 11.1 percent from the year-earlier period, according to figures that supply-chain data company Panjiva pulled for Reuters.”

“Never underestimate the power of being able to talk with a manufacturing partner during the standard workday, noted Josh Green, CEO of New York-based B2B global trade platform Panjiva. ‘With Asia, there are significant delays in terms of communications, unless you want to be on the phone in the middle of the night,’ he said. ‘Simply being in the same time zone or only a few hours’ difference can have a significant effect on operations.’”

“‘Witch costumes are leading this year’s costume charge, with zombie and vampire dress coming in a close second,’ said a Panjiva media advisory. ‘This means that retailers are betting consumers will stick to the classic Hallows Eve attire that have proven favorites time and time again, instead of purchasing expensive ‘it’ costumes like President Putin or Edward Snowden.’”

“While some large companies have set up manufacturing operations in the U.S., Green said that by no means makes it a full-on trend. Instead, he labeled that activity as isolated cases that represent good news but are not reflective of a broader resurgence in U.S. manufacturing just yet. ‘We are likely to see some manufacturing growth in selected areas of manufacturing, but based on the report there is very little belief that we will see a broad-based resurgence in U.S. manufacturing,’ said Green.”

“Needham analyst Sean McGowan expects holiday toy sales to be worse than last year and price competition to be ‘intense’ as stores have six fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and because many are saddled with inventory from earlier in the year. Data from Panjiva showed overall toys shipments to be on pace with 2012, but down from 2011.”

“Rumors started to circulate in recent weeks about an upgrade when surfaced receipts indicated a ‘set top box with communication function’ shipped from Apple’s Chinese supplier. The bills were for three separate shipments, dated Aug. 11, Aug. 18 and Aug. 25, according to a blog post from trade intelligence platform Panjiva. Many speculated an announcement related to Apple TV would soon follow, possibly at Tuesday’s event. But there’s good news for those awaiting a feature overhaul: We could see it in just about a week.”

“Apple Inc. is expected to announce new iPhone models next week, but could it also announce a new version of Apple TV? In August, the Cupertino-based tech giant received three shipments from one of its suppliers of set-top boxes, according to Panjiva, a company that organizes global trade and shipping data. Panjiva noted that these shipments could be for any number of things, including a new version of Apple TV, the long-rumored TV set by Apple.”

“Three overseas shipments to Apple, spotted by the trade intelligence company Panjiva, point to the TV-related product on its way. On Aug. 25, Apple received a shipment called ‘Set Top Box with Communication Function’ from BYD Precision Manufacture in Shenzhen, China, according to Panjiva. One week prior, Apple got another shipment from BYD called ‘Set Top Boxes.’ And a week before that, it received one titled ‘Set Top Box with Communication Function.’”

“Panjiva writes this morning that Apple ‘recently took three shipments of set top boxes,’ citing a claimed bill of lading. The site asks whether this could be the rumored TV, or an update to the existing AppleTV, or something else entirely.”

“Through a review of bills of lading filed with the US Department of Homeland Security for shipments Apple received recently, Panjiva found the following trio of ‘set top box’-related shipments: A shipment described as ‘Set Top Box with Communication Function’ from BYD Precision Manufacture in Shenzhen, China, received on August 25. Another shipment, also from BYD, described as ‘Set Top Boxes,’ received on August 18. A shipment from BYD received August 11 contained ‘Set Top Box with Communication Function.’”

“Panjiva’s report points out that in the past, when Apple received shipments for ‘set top boxes’ — most recently, on December 5, 2012 — those shipments came from Hon Hai. A safe bet would be on a new Apple TV device. The last time Apple released a new model of Apple TV (one it calls a little hobby) was in March 2012.”

“But there was a workaround. While Jiutai would make the garments, Quaker would fill out order forms to say that the items had been made by Ease Clever Plastic Manufactory, then an approved Walmart supplier. Ease Clever is an established manufacturer that ships products to Target and other large companies, according to the global trade database Panjiva. Jiutai, by contrast, had only one recent listing in the database, for a small shipment to Puerto Rico in 2011.”

“Panjiva said the number of global manufacturers shipping to the U.S in July—at 179,929—was up 3 percent compared to June and 14 percent on an annual basis. ‘These numbers look good for a few different reasons,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘One is that it is continuing evidence we are in an economic recovery and another being that corporate buyers are feeling optimistic about back-to-school and the holiday season.’”

“‘High costs are clearly holding back US manufacturing, which is an unfortunate scenario given that it is largely out of the control of the manufacturers themselves,’ said Josh Green, Panjiva CEO. ‘However, this predicament underscores the need for manufacturers to focus not only on what they do very well, but also what buyers look to them for: the ability to deliver goods in a much shorter time period.’”

“According to trade data company Panjiva, vodka isn’t even America’s main import from Russia. Such top Russian imports as fuel, iron, and fertilizers are harder—or at least less sexy—to mobilize a boycott around.”

“It starts with understanding where America is likely to succeed (and where it is not), so we can focus resources on areas where we have a shot at winning. Realistically, we cannot make the U.S. a hub for large-scale, labor-intensive manufacturing in industries such as apparel or toys, and so manufacturing is not going to be the silver bullet that solves America’s jobs problem. But there is an opportunity to create sustainable competitive advantage and a lot of high-quality jobs in two specific areas.”

“What’s more, aside from China, Green said sourcing activity in Southeast Asia is doing quite well, especially in some labor-intensive industries. ‘We are seeing some of the higher value-add manufacturing and technology-intensive manufacturing remain in China, though, as the sourcing destination of choice,’ Green said. ‘Part of that has to do with the capabilities built up there are so strong that it is hard to replicate those capabilities elsewhere.’”

“Panjiva draws on data from U.S. Customs and processes it to generate information about a supplier’s history. The resulting company profile includes detailed information such as contacts, certifications, sustainability efforts and financial health. Panjiva already makes U.S. supplier information available through its partnership with ThomasNet. The company has organized the export data so that users can search by product, as well as by other categories.”

“‘I work on two exciting overall problems: helping to run the business in a data-driven manner, and building our product. On the business side, I both work to understand the past (forensic data science) and predict and change the future using this understanding of the past. On the product side, our work in international trade is all about data. One example is our work in matching new data sets to existing ones while minimizing misclassification error.’”

“The move, which was based on U.S. Customs’ releasing of export data to the public for the first time, enabled Panjiva to incorporate active U.S. suppliers. ‘What we’re doing is taking millions of shipping records and dividing them up according to which company they belong to. We can now analyze that data to say that company X specializes in furniture, or chemicals, and we can analyze it to see just how active they are.’”

“As Americans get ready to fire up their grills this Fourth of July, Panjiva notes that shipments of barbecue products to the US are booming — running 28 percent ahead of last year’s levels…Looking at shipment data, Panjiva said that during the first and second quarters of 2013, there were 1,753 shipments of grills, barbecue paraphernalia, cook-wear, sauces, and more; that represents a 28 percent gain over the numbers tracked during the comparable period in 2012.”

“Much of this licensed merchandise is made overseas in countries like China, Hong Kong and Thailand. In fact, suppliers have imported 330 tractor-trailer loads of Paula Deen products in the last six years, according to Panjiva, a firm that tracks global shipments of goods coming to ports in the United States. One key supplier is Meyer Corp., a cookware distributor based in Vallejo, Calif., that holds a license for Paula Deen kitchenware and tableware. Meyer is the No. 1 importer of Paula Deen-branded merchandise, and has imported 75 tractor-trailer loads of her goods since July 2007, according to Panjiva.”

“‘I think these numbers are pretty good over all,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘We have seen some significant fluctuation in these numbers from month to month, but the year-to-date shipment number is encouraging. Trade feels relatively healthy, and the next interesting moment will be in the next month or two as corporate buyers start placing their bets for the holiday season.’”

“‘More specifically to trade there was talk of China losing its dominance in manufacturing and our customers have talked of a desire of moving beyond China due to rising wages and some say the cost advantage is not as strong as it used to be. That is a real dynamic and lots of folks have acted on a desire to diversify beyond China. Over the last decade or so, the Chinese manufacturing base developed a capabilities advantage that is proving to be durable and as a result people are finding it harder than they thought to go elsewhere as the capabilities they have come to rely on in China’s manufacturing base are not there in other countries and appears to be going strong and looks like it will continue for some time.’”

“And Panjiva is now going to be able to provide a more complete view of the trade activity of Chinese companies. ‘The U.S. import data we have used for a long time tells you a lot about what companies in China are doing as well as in the rest of the world,’ said Green. ‘And now with this Chinese trade data we can provide a comprehensive view of what these companies are doing globally in terms of what products they are specializing in across their global customer base and what regions of the world they are selling goods to.’”

“The addition was made possible by a partnership with Export to China (ETCN), a Chinese information consulting and commercial platform for importers and exporters. Panjiva holds exclusive rights to publish ETCN data in a searchable format. The information is being integrated into the existing Panjiva platform. According to the company, the move opens up access to a ‘sizable’ portion of the Chinese supply base.”

“‘Panjiva and ETCN share a vision for the power that trade data can have to unlock a lot of hidden potential in the global supply chain,’ said Josh Green, co-founder and CEO, Panjiva. ‘We know our customers will benefit greatly from just how easy it will now be to get insight into Chinese companies with whom they want to work.’”

“‘This isn’t the first tragedy in Bangladesh,’ said Josh Green, founder of Panjiva, a global search engine for buyers and suppliers in manufacturing. ‘Corporate responsibility needs to step in.’ Panjiva’s database allowed other companies and other suppliers to track all U.S. shipments from New Wave Style Ltd., which operated at Rana Plaza. It also allows consumers to see that Joe Fresh merchandise is made in factories in Bangladesh, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and South Korea.”

“But with Chinese data, Panjiva is attempting to add an entirely new level to its offering with a broader view of trade information. US import data only tells part of the trade story for companies researching global suppliers. They might go through this research for a variety of reasons: to identify new sources of local or export supply, to understand supply risk elements based on changes in export/shipping data, to understand what suppliers competitors are using, etc. Yet domestic data only provides information from global suppliers importing into the US.”

“Panjiva is the first and only company that is making Chinese trade data accessible in searchable company profiles and currently holds exclusive rights to publish ETCN data in this searchable format. As a result, Panjiva users receive unparalleled insight into suppliers and customers in one of the world’s largest markets.”

“So I asked Panjiva’s CEO Josh Green whether China might be fudging its trade numbers to make exports look stronger than they really are, and how its new service would address that. He said it’s always a challenge for supply chain managers to sort the macro numbers from the granular analysis they need to do when analyzing target markets and potential sourcing partners. ‘If you’re trying to find patio furniture suppliers you want to figure out which companies have the most experience shipping patio furniture, possibly serving the European market,’ he explained.”

“Sourcing executives have been looking elsewhere in an effort to get ahead of cost pressures, and in truth they’re looking everywhere. At Panjiva, we took a look at apparel imports into the United States to get a sense of the trajectory of trade flows. (Why apparel? Because manufacturing apparel doesn’t require a lot of capital investment or highly skilled labor. As a result, apparel manufacturing tends to move faster than other industries.) From 2010 to 2012, China lost 1.3 percentage points of market share. The 10 countries that gained the most market share were spread around the world. But, notably, three were in Latin America.”

“Now, economic development in these emerging markets is leading to an increase in data, as increasingly sophisticated governments work to make more data available in order to further grease the wheels of commerce. This seems to suggest that economic development comes first, then data, then more economic development. But what if data could come first? What if we could see more data coming out of emerging markets even before governments have the capacity to collect, and make available, large amounts of data? Might the transparency provided by data give more companies the confidence they need to do business in these markets – and in fact jump-start the process of economic development?”

“There should be no drought of the draught for this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations as research shows that Irish exports of both Guinness and Jameson are on the rise for this year. Research from Panjiva, which analyzes global trading trends, shows that the December through February shipments of Guinness stout are at a record of 785, an increase of nearly five percent over 2012, and almost 15 percent over 2011.”

“St. Patrick’s Day revelers can rest easy — that’s because shipments of stout and some Irish whiskeys are running smartly ahead of last year’s levels…After sifting through recent data, Panjiva concluded, ‘No drought of stout this St. Patrick’s Day.’ Shipments of stout are up nearly 5 percent over last year’s levels and almost 15 percent over that time period in 2011, Panjiva said. Shipments of Jameson, a brand of Irish whiskey, are up 430 percent over 2012.”

“For companies such as Panjiva, which helps companies find product suppliers, information technology is the signature tool. ‘We provide intelligence to companies looking to find the best suppliers for products around the world…Think of us as a search engine. We are a web-based service,’ said Josh Green, Panjiva’s chief executive officer.”

“‘The real (supply chain) challenge comes with the uncertainty of the global economy,’ said Josh Green, chief executive officer of Panjiva, a New York-based firm that provides market intelligence to companies looking for product suppliers. ‘If you have consistent growth, you have one course of action; with consistent recession, you have another course of action. (Product buyers) are keeping their inventories as low as possible and ordering as late as possible so it gives them a better shot at predicting what the demand will be,’ he said.”

“‘Everything in the world of start-ups takes longer than you would like,’ Green says. ‘That is never more true than when opening in a new geography, China in particular’…It’s well worth the extra effort, he adds. ‘I can tell you that when I hop off the plane in Shanghai and walk into the Panjiva office and see a team of incredibly talented people working hard to build their piece of a global business–it’s a very rewarding feeling.’”

“In the sourcing world, we’ve been talking for years about the need for a truly global sourcing strategy, one that takes advantage of a world of opportunities, wherever they are. Meanwhile, there’s also lots of talk about local sourcing strategies – designed to minimize lead times and chase full price revenue. Which is right for your company? The answer will depend on your overall corporate strategy, and of course the answer may be a combination of the two. Clearly, though, getting to the right answer is crucial for any company that’s in the business of delivering product to customers.”

“‘Shipments are down considerably from 2009, and something pretty dramatic would need to happen for hand sanitizers to reach that same level again,’ Panjiva chief executive Josh Green said in an e-mail. ‘The flu epidemic this year could be just that, but it’s too late for suppliers to play catch up — even if we’re still in the early stages of the spread, we’re certainly going to find that there aren’t enough hand sanitizers at the ready.’”

“The big exception was 2009, when the swine-flu outbreak prompted sales to spike to $301 million. ‘We would have to see something pretty dramatic for hand sanitizers to reach those levels again,’ says Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, a company that tracks imports of consumer products…Should this flu season get much worse, experts say, there could end up being a sanitizer shortage too, as production has tapered off. ‘If we’re still in the early stages of the spread, we’re certainly going to find that there aren’t enough hand sanitizers on hand,’ Green says.”

“Panjiva Inc. has teamed up with ThomasNet to offer global search capability for more than 500,000 suppliers in the U.S. The deal allows Panjiva to connect buyers with American suppliers for the first time. ThomasNet, drawing on the content of Thomas Register, is a platform for data related to supplier discovery and component sourcing, equipment, MRO products, raw materials and custom manufacturing services from North American suppliers.”

“Ultimately, Panjiva provides a good ‘calibration point,’ said user Mike Matteo of Charleston, S.C.-based M-Squared Consulting LLC. Matteo said his practice focuses on international supply chain improvement projects, and that Panjiva’s data helps him stay attuned to new manufacturing regions and dominant importers in certain categories, while also educating him on suppliers and potential clients. ‘You always want to understand the dynamics and the landscape of who the suppliers are, who the exporters are, who their key customers are,’ Matteo said. ‘It’s a great tool for learning about the supplier landscape.’”

“Enter Panjiva, a company best known for aggregating global trade information, providing supplier and competitive insight into trade and customs activity. Earlier this fall, Panjiva briefed Spend Matters on its latest initiative to create a supplier directory that would enrich its current database and then make it searchable by all. In speaking with customers, Panjiva learned that many were using the service to do research on suppliers. But they would then have to hunt for additional insight across various sources, from contact information to product details and catalog information. In order to build an offering in this market, Panjiva enriched its own database by crawling some seven million web pages to build its content.”

“Anticipating demand, retailers stocked up on many old favorites. The number of tractor-trailer-size shipping containers filled with Power Rangers toys arriving at U.S. ports during the critical August-through-October retailer order window was up 91% this year from the prior year, according to Panjiva, a company that tracks imports on toys made overseas…So why are retailers going back to the future? ‘They feel retro toys are a safer bet than new ones, which is a sensible strategy in uncertain economic times,’ says Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva.”

“There’s also this really great service called Panjiva—technology nowadays allows you to see so much more into the world than you did before. You can look up any brand and any factory and see who they work with. Now, we’re making enough friends that it becomes easier and easier, so the hunt becomes faster.”

“Most important, Green suggested, is to use public data to solve a problem that’s both hard and important. For Panjiva, that means making global trade more efficient and more transparent. ‘There is a future where information is consolidated and accessible to people making key decisions, from a buying or regulatory standpoint,’ he said. ‘Once that happens — and we’re close — there’s potentially a place where there’s a race to the top instead of the bottom, in terms of supply chain records. That will make a difference when you’re under scrutiny. Right now, the fragmentation of data is the ally of bad behavior. Our hope is to change that reality.’”

“‘While it is hard to know for sure, it is likely that Hurricane Sandy had an impact on these numbers,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green. ‘It seems like buyers opted to keep inventories relatively lean for the holiday season, and I don’t think anyone has any visibility as to what the post-holiday environment will look like.’ The decision to keep inventories lean, said Green, represents a bet on a modest holiday season, coupled with a desire to not be left with inventory after the holiday season, when there is very little visibility as to how consumers are going to be feeling.”

“‘You have to remember that there is a problem which we face in a globalized economy, which is that if one country enacts really strict safety guidelines that raise the cost of manufacturing, buyers have the option to take their business elsewhere and, thus far, have demonstrated a tendency to do so,’ said Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva Inc., an online data platform used by international marketers and producers.”

“Retailers like Wal-Mart have contract clauses that require suppliers to disclose all factories and subcontractors producing merchandise for sale. But it’s hard to crack down on unauthorized subcontracting, said Josh Green, chief executive of New York-based Panjiva, which tracks shipments for factories outside the U.S. ‘The reality is you have to have round-the-clock monitoring of every aspect of the supplier’s operations,’ he said. ‘It’s just not feasible.’”

“Talk about a company that makes global trade easier. Because it really does. Panjiva is a 750,000-strong database of suppliers around the world with in-depth information about each supplier, complete with top customers of each supplier and even U.S. customs data that is updated weekly. But don’t take our word for it. Hop on over and look at their laundry list of drool-worthy customers that use them to simplify sourcing processes and streamline their supply chain disruptions.”

“The aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy have included logistics problems and merchandise delivery delays. And some retailers, trying to keep inventory lean during uncertain economic times, have given themselves little room for error: shipments of holiday toys, for instance, are down 13 percent this year, to the lowest level since 2007, according to the global trade research firm Panjiva. All of that makes for a particularly strange holiday season, retailers and analysts say.”

“‘Parents who played with some of these toys as kids are now out shopping for their own children and may be willing to put their precious holiday budget behind the toys they knew and loved themselves,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green. ‘It’s probably a safe bet for retailers, and we’ll find out in the month ahead whether it was a smart bet as well.’”

“Globalization means the world is your supply oyster–but how do you actually find the best supplier for your product? Here are some tips from Josh Green, the CEO of Panjiva, a global trade intelligence platform used by over 1 million people a month (and 40 Fortune 500 companies.) Their Global Search tool uses data from government agencies, trade organizations, credit and financial firms, as well as user feedback to help buyers find the best suppliers for their individual needs. Josh knows what he’s talking about.”

“‘It appeared in looking at that data earlier in the year leading up to holiday season that it would have suggested that businesses weren’t feeling particularly confident about what the holiday season had in store for us,’ said Green. ‘But in looking at these numbers, what they seem to suggest is that it is not so much of a slowdown as a shift to later orders. What seems to be the case is that [shippers] held off as long as they could in making their buying decisions, hoping there would be more clarity about where the economy is headed. And as a result we are seeing shipments coming later in the year relative to what we have seen in the past.’”

“Taking advantage of what’s sure to be a China-filled, controversially combative final debate, B2B trade platform Panjiva has launched their very own challenge in honor of both the discussion tonight on who will be tougher on China and the iPad mini’s release on Tuesday, which was developed in China. The strange coincidence has inspired Panjiva to create a competition where participants will guess the combined number of times the candidates each say “China” or “Chinese” in Monday night’s debate with the newest phenomenal Apple tool, the iPad Mini, as the ultimate prize.”

“I was at a small electronics company, struggling to find a reliable supplier in China. I thought there was no reason it should be so hard. So, with MIT computer scientist James Psota, I set out to build Panjiva, a platform that could effectively connect serious buyers and sellers worldwide.”

“Last week Panjiva announced Global Search capabilities—search technology that mirrored what their clients were already doing—finding and pulling together contact data and product images from all over the web. When merged with the objective data already gathered from the 3rd party sources mentioned above, this additional data provides a more complete view. This is accomplished without the supplier or buyer having to do any additional work.”

“Imagine Google Analytics but for world trade, with graphs showing data like shipping volume instead of site visitors. Combine that with LinkedIn-style profiles, but for manufacturers, and you get Panjiva. The six year-old New York company is rolling out a new global search feature this week that takes the dozens of data sources it has been quietly accumulating about anyone shipping in bulk — port shipping volumes, credit ratings, environmental qualifications, etc. — and let’s you easily answer key questions for your business.”

“Panjiva has collected and analyzed trade-relevant fragments of product and company information on more than seven million Web pages, across 400,000 domains. Features of Global Search include product photos; a search algorithm which takes into account such elements as the company’s activity levels, presence of matching product images and responsiveness to inquiries, and contact information. The vendor’s platform offers insight into some six million companies and 35 million products that are bought and sold internationally.”

“Business-to-business trade search and support company Panjiva has launched a new search engine to find global sourcing partners and monitor shipment trends. The company’s Global Search indexes information from the Web and presents shipment information – from raw materials to a variety of final goods – in an easy-to-use manner that will seem familiar to anyone that’s used a popular search engine with specific function, like trip planning sites Travelocity or Kayak.”

“Now, 7 million Web pages across 400,000 domain names later, Global Search is ready for the prime time. The tool still displays shipping data, but crawling the Web for information has also provided Panjiva with product images and contact information, two categories that customers used to have to turn to Google for. Rather than being a tool for helping businesses figure out what they should be searching for on Google, Panjiva’s Global Search has turned the service into a one-stop shop for supplier data.”

“Panjiva CEO Josh Green told LM there are two possibilities factoring into the July to August decline. One is softness in global trade, and the second is a shift in terms of seasonal buying patterns. ‘The answer is probably a mix of both,’ said Green. ‘There is a fair amount of speculation regarding global trade softening, which is off-set by those who maintain the economy is heading in the right direction. We have mixed messages in terms of where the macro economy is headed, which is nothing new. It is possible we are seeing softness in global trade in response to global macro economic conditions.’”

“Last year, just under a million dollars worth of etrogim were imported to the United States from Israel, according to Panjiva.com, which tracks global trade. This was roughly 46 percent of the annual imports of “kumquats, citrons, and bergamots,” the category used for customs reporting, and all were imported in September and October.”

“The interesting — and beneficial — thing about Panjiva is that they don’t exclude any supplier from their database. They publish the good right alongside of the not-so-good to keep purchasers in the loop as much as possible. According to Green, ‘We want to maintain information on all suppliers, good and bad, so that if a supplier that is less than ideal approaches you, you have the information available from Panjiva to know that they are not someone you want to work with on your project. As a supplier, you are in Panjiva’s database whether you like it or not.’”

“‘July and into August are when we typically see increases in shipments related to the ramp up for back-to-school and the holidays,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘And the fact that there is an increase [from June to July] is not terribly surprising, but this is a very healthy increase. We have not seen increases like this in the last couple of years.’”

“According to Burns, Panjiva’s data shows ‘Canada is by far the top buyer’ for the other-products category which includes corn flour, starch, malt and worked grains. There are about 2,500 supermarket products that contain corn, plus over a thousand other products not normally sold in supermarkets, such as fireworks, carpeting, cardboard and fibreglass. Corn is also the key ingredient in U.S. fast food, according to a 2008 study.”

“On the flipside, if globalization is genuinely embraced by the new leadership, then Alibaba will face increased competition from other players of scale as a new wave of foreign investment comes to China’s Internet sector. Companies like EBay, Amazon.com and PayPal, or next-generation Panjiva, are waiting in the wings to move on alibaba.com’s traditional revenue base.”

“Supply chain data and intelligence provider Panjiva announced the Maritime Monitor, designed to meet the trade analysis and lead generation requirements for the maritime industry. The tool will customize Automated Manifest Systems (AMS) Data, U.S. Customs data and U.S. Census data to provide trade intelligence for companies looking to identify both import and export shipments for sales lead generation. It will also provide a snapshot of current waterborne and port trends for additional trade-lane analysis.”

“The information company Panjiva said it has created a new product called Maritime Monitor that it says is designed ‘to meet the trade analysis and lead generation requirements for the maritime industry.’ The product customizes Automated Manifest Systems data from U.S. Customs and Census data to provide trade intelligence for companies looking to identify both import and export shipments for sales leads.”

“‘Relatively speaking, the numbers are holding up reasonably well,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘If you look at shipments being up 5 percent [through the first six months of the year] with the economic headwinds we are facing, we will take it.’ With the economic outlook still challenging, Green said the two top concerns—as they pertain to global trade—are consumer sentiment and the difficult situation in Europe.”

“Panjiva’s research team reports that trade activity was steady in June. According to the sourcing firm, the number of waterborne shipments coming into the U.S. experienced a 2 percent month-over-month increase from May to June.”

“A search in Panjiva for a keyword such as sweaters, coffee beans, or guitars, returns results from the database of over 1 million suppliers worldwide. Next you can limit by country and vet suppliers based on ratings, red flags, or number of recent shipments and find the most active suppliers. Panjiva not only gives details and contact information for the companies, but can show you who their customers are — who is buying from them, and provides data on recent shipments.”

“These numbers seem to contradict import projections for June put out recently by industry groups, one as high as 5% over last year. Panjiva CEO Josh Green told MH&L why he doesn’t think that’s realistic… ‘We would have to see a 2% increase from May to June and typically we see a decline from May to June. We are, however, still tracking a couple percentage points ahead of last year and a universe of industry folks will take that, given all the turmoil we’ve seen in the last couple years, so we should feel good about that. Nevertheless, given the trouble in Europe, it’s hard to expect great things from the second half of this year.’”

“‘It would have been great to see the growth streak continue,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘But this data is coming off of a couple of really strong months, and the basis for comparison is quite high, and we are still running ahead of where we were last year. The news is certainly not as good as we would like, but I don’t see anything in the data that suggests we are heading for a significant slowdown.’”

“According to research service Panjiva, Greece imported over $40 million of arms and ammunition from the U.S. in February. That amounted to 3.6 percent more in arms imports in the first quarter than than during the same period last year. In fact, only the U.K. and the U.A.E. bought more arms from the U.S. in the first quarter.”

“‘These numbers really are great news,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘To be 11 percent ahead of where we were last year [for shipments] is fantastic, and if you ignore the effects of Chinese New Year it seems clear now that we have basically had six straight months of healthy trade activity.’ These numbers, said Green, reflect a healthy degree of confidence among global buyers.”

“The survey respondents from the recent Panjiva and Global Sourcing Council report are optimistic about the general economic outlook for 2012 as well as volume trends with 76% believing the economy will fare ‘the same as 2011′ to ‘much stronger than 2011′ and 71% are themselves expecting to spend as much or more in 2012 over 2011.”

“The largest opportunity for cost savings in 2012 will be ‘sourcing from new geographies,’ coming in at 34% of respondents. ‘Switching to lower cost suppliers/materials was second, with 23% of those taking the survey prioritizing this opportunity over others. Consolidating orders with fewer suppliers,’ also known as supplier rationalization, came in at 23%. In short, it seems that the largest number of organizations are still attempting to play the unit — and sometimes total — cost arbitrage game between countries while fewer are going about cost savings in a more strategic manner by engineering out cost in the design process.”

“Panjiva recently teamed with the Global Sourcing Council to carry out a survey exploring trends in trade and global sourcing…Looking at current economic concerns for buyers in 2012, the top three choices came in virtually neck and neck: slump in global demand (28%), volatility in commodity prices (27%) and rising wages in manufacturing hot spots (27%). Supply risk in the form of “natural disasters” was way down the list of top priorities (2%) while 6% of buyers cited “protectionism” as a major concern (likely in the form of import tariffs/duties, export controls like with China Rare earths, etc.).”

“‘It was a very dark time in the economy and there weren’t a lot of companies actively looking for new suppliers,’ Green recalls. Panjiva’s outlook improved when it managed to sign up one Fortune 500 company. ‘For most of 2009, that one customer was what we had,’ Green says. And that was enough to start building a solid business. Today, Panjiva has more than 4,000 clients, 40 of them in the Fortune 500.”

“But several other recent trade reports and surveys of international trade players were more positive. A survey of 271 buyers and suppliers in global trade conducted by Panjiva and the Global Sourcing Council found that about 50% were somewhat or very optimistic about the global economy and saw signs of strong global demand. It found that 21% were somewhat or very pessimistic about global trade through the rest of the year.”

“In a previous interview with LM, Panjiva CEO Josh Green said that March would likely provide a better indicator of how things may play out for global trade in 2012, with Chinese New Year out of the way…’There is no question that the first quarter of 2012 compared to the first quarter of 2011 looks pretty good,’ said Green. ‘The total number of quarterly shipments is up 4 percent annually. While these numbers are pretty good, we still want to see a couple of months of continued good news to really feel like global trade is on a positive and sustainable trajectory. But there is no question these numbers represent good news.’”

“One popular exhibitor at the Apparel Sourcing Show was Panjiva, New York City, which connects buyers to suppliers. With a database of 750,000 suppliers in 190 countries, the company can provide information about capabilities, size, location, certification and other data to anyone looking for reliable apparel sourcing. “

“‘The past four years have been very volatile for those involved in global trade but there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel,’ said Josh Green, Chief Executive Officer of Panjiva. ‘Sourcing professionals can deal with rising labor and commodity costs by making the move to regions where costs can be better controlled. The critical success factors remain identifying the right regions and partners to work with and putting the right planning processes in place to ultimately make the move.’”

“A study released last month by Panjiva, a New York consulting company that advises 2,000 mostly American importers on how to locate overseas suppliers, found that slightly more than half of the importers interviewed had expressed a desire to increase purchases from other Asian nations, notably India, Vietnam and Thailand. But that has not yet translated into shifts in outsourcing. ‘When it comes to moving manufacturing beyond China, there’s still more talk than action,’ Josh Green, the chief executive of Panjiva, wrote in an e-mail on Monday.”

“Folks who celebrate Easter should expect to see a bumper crop of chocolate and toy bunnies this weekend, according to a new report from Panjiva Inc. Maybe tough times had penny-pinchers cutting back, but after several down years, bunnies (including chocolate bunnies) seem to be back big time — shipments of bunnies to the US were up 22 percent in early 2012, Panjiva said.”

“The website Panjiva indicates that JOC Great Wall Corp Ltd. Of Nanjing, China is the manufacturer and exporter of the treats. It is unknown whether the FDA is inspecting the plants operated by the exporter. FDA scientists have been testing CJTs since 2007, looking for evidence of toxins, heavy metals, melamine, poisonous glycols and chemicals used in plastics and resins. They keep coming up empty.”

“Panjiva CEO Josh Green said that while the January to February shipment and manufacturer numbers were respectively down, due to the Chinese New Year, he said it is best to look at data from January and February cumulatively to see how it compares to the same period for the previous year. ‘January and February [shipments] of this year is up about 2 percent annually,’ said Green. ‘That actually is a meaningful comparison, because Chinese New Year, depending on when it falls, can push more volume into January or into February, but realistically that is not providing a real sense of the trajectory of global trade.’”

“Guinness drinkers are on the rise in New York City, according to bar owners…Sales of the black stuff in America were up 15 percent for the second half of 2011. Adding to this, US importers of Guinness reported a 244 percent increase for January and February, most likely caused by the run up to March 17, trade intelligence company Panjiva reported.”

“U.S. imports of Guinness stout bounced back ahead of St. Patrick’s Day from unusually low levels a year ago, when U.S. consumers still had a post-recession hangover… ‘It looks like there will be plenty of Guinness on hand at St. Patrick’s Day celebrations,’ said Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, which tracks international trade data. That could reflect increased consumer confidence, or, ‘It may simply be indicative of renewed confidence about consumer willingness to drink,’ Green said.”

“When times are tough, St. Patrick’s Day celebrants content themselves with swilling low-rent green beer, but when the good times roll, they’re inclined to order a stout — a Guinness perhaps. If stout consumption is a leading economic indicator, there now may be additional anecdotal evidence that the US economy is on the upswing. According to a firm called Panjiva Inc., there’s recently been nearly a 25 percent increase in stout shipments to the United States.”

“For each company listed in your results, Panjiva provides a lot of useful information neatly displayed by clicking on tabs at the top of the company profile. For suppliers, this includes contact details, a list of customers, products shipped, shipment statistics in both weight and volume and the most recent credit reports that are available through Panjiva’s affiliate partners. For customers, the company profile shows similar information but related to orders received into the US. A neat function in the company profile is the use of the tag cloud, which visually represents the frequency of your product search term in the supplier’s shipments.”

“Buyers and suppliers need to be aware of trends relating to manufactured products, commodities and raw materials as this type of knowledge can impact sourcing strategies. A new feature of Panjiva is its trends section, added last year. This section provides high level insight in visual format on waterborne trends, port trends, country trends and product import/export trends to/from the US, based on raw customs data.”

“Panjiva’s information is gathered from U.S. Customs databases, along with other data sources. The company developed patent-pending algorithms that enable it to organize customs data, extract relevant information from this data, combine this data with a wide variety of other data sets, identify patterns in the combined data sets, and present data-driven insights on the site.”

“The problem is the dearth of information to be had on overseas companies in developing nations — in many cases the very companies that offer the best deals. But Mr. Rosenfeld believes he has lowered his risks by using an online service based in the United States called Panjiva. It has thrown itself into making companies that export to America a little more transparent.”

“Data from Panjiva, a New York company that collects information on global trade, show that the top suppliers of Mardi Gras beads to the U.S. include Sunrise Party Products in Hong Kong and Giraffe Garden in Guangdong, China. During the parades, celebrants catch fistfuls of necklaces, used as currency in “beads for boobs” exchanges, but like many events, the fun is ephemeral. After the holiday, these single-use props mostly end up in landfills.”

“In an interview with LM, Panjiva CEO Josh Green said that seasonality in trade has been pretty consistent, but January represents what he described as a flip-flop. ‘For several years, December to January resulted in a modest decline, with last year being the first time we saw a significant increase from December to January,’ said Green. ‘We are seeing that again this year and there appears to be a bit of a shift in terms of the trade pattern. But there is no question seasonal impacts are significant and will continue to be so next month with a February decline.’”

“Moderated by SGS Testing’s Katherine Stein, the seminar featured panelists Josh Green, chief executive officer of sourcing website Panjiva, and Renee Hartmann, founder of the China Luxury Network, which provides brands with business intelligence and strategies ‘to win the Chinese luxury consumer at home and abroad.’”

“There are many ways to use Panjiva data for analytics, including factoring in their Watch List suppliers as one potential indicator of rising risk in a supply base (especially in cases where credit and/or supplier risk scoring is not available or incomplete from traditional ratings authorities)…What Panjiva has done to surface supply risk and trade intelligence from US Customs and related import data remains as relevant and cool as ever.”

“Experts present overviews on the dynamic evolution of China as a sourcing destination and consumer mega-market, along with sharing strategies on how U.S. fashion brands and retail chains can enter and develop this business. Speakers include Josh Green, CEO, Panjiva and Renee Hartmann, Founder, China Luxury Network.”

“Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, a firm that provides analysis of global trade data, said the best indication that the president’s goal remains on track is that Obama is talking about it. ‘The government sets lots of goals and you never hear about them,’ he said. Green noted that Obama set his goal on a very depressed baseline. And he said that not all exports are created equal. Exports of oil, for instance, will not drive a large-scale growth in jobs, he said.”

“The biggest challenge is on the supply side of the business. After years of being able to deliver consistently low manufacturing costs, sourcing organisations are continuing to face rising costs, thanks in large part to rising wages in China. The second biggest challenge is on the demand side of the business. Where is demand going to come from? America is still struggling. Debt challenges make Europe entirely unpredictable. And even China just announced slowing growth.”

“‘The theory behind Data.gov was, let’s move forward when it comes to sharing data,’ says Josh Green, chief executive officer of Panjiva, a company that crunches customs data for U.S. businesses that import some of their raw materials. ‘I think that’s right in terms of what would be good for entrepreneurship, but realistically I don’t think that has filtered down to the agency level.’”

“Trade activity experienced a noticeable seasonal decline from November to December. Specifically, the number of waterborne shipments coming into the U.S. experienced a 7% month-over-month decrease from November to December. November-to-December changes have varied widely in recent years: -14% in 2010, +3% in 2009, -8% in 2008, and -3% in 2007.”

“I think the best explanation for politicians’ focus on manufacturing is the absence of good ideas about how to create jobs on a large scale. And reviving manufacturing at least sounds like it might create a lot of jobs. But the reality is that we desperately need to develop new strategies for creating jobs in the 21st century – not simply recycle the strategy that worked in the 20th Century.”

“Subscribers to Stylesight.com have free, basic access to Stylesight Sourcing, a new global trade intelligence platform utilizing Panjiva’s powerful search engine to find sourcing information on more than 1.5 million companies around the world. Stylesight Sourcing powered by Panjiva, provides analytical tools, global trade data and information on millions of companies worldwide, enabling subscribers to find, evaluate and connect with suppliers around the world.”

“While the numbers were down, Panjiva CEO Josh Green explained it is a function of seasonality to a large degree, adding that it was not out of the range of what was expected. ‘December into January and February typically sees significant declines from a seasonal standpoint,’ said Green. ‘The only exception came at the end of 2009, when we saw an increase [in shipments] from November to December.’”

“Now hear Josh Green, chief executive officer of global sourcing and procurement specialist Panjiva: ‘To me, the defining economic event of the 20th Century was the rise of the American middle class. For the 21st Century, it’s the rise of the global middle class.’ Not everyone has gotten the message. Green believes the many companies that are still focused exclusively on serving American consumers – who, let’s face it, aren’t doing a whole lot of consuming these days – are living in a “bubble” of outmoded thinking.”

“China isn’t going away as a sourcing destination. However, given all the changes in the global supply landscape, sourcing teams must be willing to look elsewhere for goods if they are going to keep their costs-and those that get passed along to their customers-down. It is somewhat of a chicken-and-egg problem: a go-to sourcing destination beyond China hasn’t emerged, but part of the cause for that is that companies haven’t had to make moves in a very long time and in many cases, simply don’t have the know-how to do it.”

“Stylesight, a global content and technology provider for the fashion and design sectors, has signed a content partnership agreement with Panjiva, an online resource for sourcing executives with an extensive database…With 750,000 suppliers from more than 190 countries included on the platform, Panjiva’s database of public and proprietary information will arm Stylesight users with the information to help find and vet suppliers, monitor competition and identify geographic sourcing trends.”

“What else can we expect? First, companies will continue to grow less excited about China as a sourcing destination and more excited about China as an export market. Second, the pendulum will continue to swing away from supplier consolidation to supplier diversification. In these respects, 2012 will feel a lot like 2011. But, as always, since we’re talking about global trade after all, we should expect the unexpected.”

“Stylesight plans to integrate Panjiva’s world-class intelligence platform into the launch of Stylesight Sourcing in early 2012.Panjiva will help power the new Stylesight Sourcing platform, providing analytical tools, global trade data and information on more than 1.5 million companies, to enable subscribers to find, evaluate and connect with suppliers around the world.”

“In a statement, Panjiva chief executive Josh Green said: ‘Style, fashion, and design move quickly so having instant intelligence on ‘what’s next’ and how to deliver it has the potential to be game changing. We look forward to providing the same content and data that the world’s biggest buyers leverage on a day-to-day basis to Stylesight subscribers and are confident they will quickly benefit from the valuable insight it delivers.’”

“In an interview with LM, Panjiva CEO Josh Green said when looking at the data from the August to September timeframe, it looks like buyers delayed their orders and spread shipments out over the fourth quarter more than in previous years, which have typically seen early and substantial spikes followed by quick drop-offs. ‘This suggests that overall volumes in this holiday season—despite some early concerns—were relatively solid,’ said Green.”

“Going after film franchises has paid off for Lego, with “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars” helping the toymaker top $1 billion in sales in the U.S. for the first time in 2010, a figure it’s confident to repeat again this year. Altogether, sales are up 106% for the fourth-largest toymaker since 2006, the company has said. This year, shipments of Legos to stores between August and October are up more than 65%, according to Panjiva, a New York-based data firm.”

“Barbie was the top toy imported to the U.S. in August and September — the time period when most things are shipped for the holiday season — according to a Panjiva analysis…The classic doll’s popularity signals that with limited budgets shoppers may be more inclined to buy traditional toys that they know their kids will like, rather than taking a chance on the latest fad.”

“According to analysis of the 75 most-popular holiday gift items for Businessweek.com by Panjiva, a New York company that collects data on global trade, the U.S. received a total of 2,598 shipments of Barbie products (many coming from Hong Kong and Indonesia) in August and September, the period when most items are shipped for the holiday shopping season. That represents a 13 percent increase over the same period in 2010…Josh Green, Panjiva’s chief executive, says shipment data suggest classic children’s toys such as Barbie, Lego, and Hot Wheels (another Mattel brand) will be especially popular as retailers reduce risk by offering products they know have appeal.”

“While the store ads and commercials are full of noise promoting toys like Elefun, Lalaloopsy dolls and Pillow Pets, these might not be the items that sell the best. In fact, Josh Green, CEO of the global trade intelligence company Panjiva, is betting on classic toys in the 2011 market. ‘Looking at shipments from August through October, when most holiday shipments arrive, timeless toys such as Barbie, Lego and Hot Wheels far outnumber shipments of many items on this year’s hot toy lists,’ said Green.”

“‘As retailers look at consumer confidence numbers, they are skeptical about consumers’ willingness to spend this holiday season, and they are trying to avoid getting caught with too much inventory,’ said Josh Green, chief executive of Panjiva, a supply-chain data company…Retailers have cut down on toys overall — imports of toys in August and September, important months for building holiday inventory, dropped by 9.8 percent compared with last year, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by Panjiva.”

“Panjiva says classic toys remain popular not just for sentimental reasons, but also because parents feel confident they are buying something their child is guaranteed to like. ‘It also helps that many of these products are better on consumers’ wallets than fancy electronics or the latest ‘it’ toy capturing dramatic price markups,’ Panjiva CEO Josh Green said.”

“‘Because of the economic environment, retailers are approaching the holiday season with caution,’ Panjiva CEO Josh Green told The Huffington Post, ‘They’re keeping inventories low, and they’re betting on products that they think are sure things, like the classics…In tough times people tend to turn to the familiar, and that’s likely to be true in the holiday shopping season,’ Green said.”

“‘With consumer confidence questionable heading into the holidays, retailers appear to be taking necessary precautions so they don’t end up losing money and stuck with surplus inventory come January,’ said Panjiva’s chief executive officer Josh Green…’Products like cashmere and video games are a luxury to many consumers and as such, are the first item crossed off of cash-strapped consumers’ shopping lists,’ he said.”

“Black Friday will be here by week’s end and the annual big day for holiday shoppers is expected to net more Barbies than Leapsters. Shipments of video games are at their lowest level since 2007 and are down 42 percent from 2010 to 2011, according to the global trade intelligence platform and regular Cargo Business News Trade Trends contributor, Panjiva.”

“Should the shelves be bare of this year’s top toys, parents can always rely on getting their hands on more traditional items such as Lego and Barbie dolls, both of which experienced a record growth in shipments this year, according to Panjiva. Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva stated that ‘Shipments of the most-talked-about toys are unusually low which [..] means that parents may have trouble finding the goods, [and] retailers may be playing it safe by putting the majority of their investment into proven toys they know will sell.’”

“Given the current global economic environment, with ongoing uncertainty regarding the Euro and related sovereign debt issues in Greece and southern Europe, Panjiva CEO Josh Green told LM that this most recent batch of numbers was better than expected, given how difficult August to September was. ‘I was expecting bad news,’ said Green. ‘The concern was that this was a trajectory, and I think what appears to be the case is that some orders in past years that may have come in September ended up coming in October.’”

“Other data of interest to come out of Panjiva’s latest Trendspotting findings include declines in US imports…Japan dropped 7%, owing in part to the tsunami and earthquake tragedy as well as a strong currency. And Egypt fell 14%, undoubtedly owing to its own civil unrest earlier this year.”

“Panjiva is a supply risk management insight provider that any organization interested in examining global supply risk from an import/export perspective…would be well advised to subscribe to. Their elegant and powerful interface to drill into trade data and trends (down to the vendor level), their risk and watch lists for suppliers and their overall trending data are a perfect example of how to build a business on top of publicly available information (e.g., US Customs data) that has never been interrogated in quite this manner in the past.”

“Who’s going to shape this next century (or, as President Obama might put it, “win the future”)? Sadly, at this point, I wouldn’t bet on American entrepreneurs, most of whom are living in a 20th Century Bubble. No, I’d bet on entrepreneurs in emerging markets, the folks who deeply understand the growing global middle class — because they’re a part of it.”

“Such items as coconuts, shrimp, and rice may cost more because of supply-chain disruptions caused by massive flooding in Thailand. That’s one conclusion that can be drawn from an analysis by Panjiva…The impact of the Thailand floods means that companies will have to scramble to find large quantities of such items — and likely have to pay higher prices, Panjiva said.”

“In light of this, it’s particularly alarming that Congress is picking a fight with China, a key trading partner. This month, Congress passed three new free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. But simultaneously, Congress passed a bill that would impose tariffs on some Chinese goods in the event that the U.S. Treasury names China a currency manipulator.”

“The United States imports more than one third of all its incoming hard drives from Thailand. And the reliance on these sales goes both ways: ‘By dollar value, hard drives are Thailand’s biggest export category to the United States — about $1.5 billion to-date,’ says Panjiva…The number gurus at Panjiva have also detailed a few more of the economic products likely to be most affected: coconuts, shrimp, rice, pineapples and furniture.”

“Ahead of the pack, both of newcomers and established top tier Trade Intelligence providers (excluding PIERS), when it comes to the value added aspects of enhancing U.S. Customs data is Panjiva…Most importantly, they truly have gone to great lengths to “connect the dots” integrating other pertinent databases (over two dozens various sources) to the U.S. Customs data toward the end of enabling their product to perform its singular objective more efficiently.”

“‘We did expect to see this decline,’ he said, ‘but what is somewhat disconcerting is the magnitude of the decline. If you compare it with the declines of previous years, it is the largest we have seen in the last four years. It gives fuel to the fires of fear that are consuming [stakeholders] in global trade right now. As we look around the world and see macroeconomic challenges looming, it is reasonable to be concerned.’”

“James Psota started his first successful company when he was 13 and he’s been doing it ever since. Of course, he has come a long way from his original startup — a landscaping company that he sold to another landscaper when he was 18. Today his focus is Panjiva, a search engine that has algorithmically mined third-party data for more than 1 million suppliers located in 190 countries.”

“Global trade intelligence platform vendor Panjiva, who predominantly tracks water borne shipments, however, indicated a steady seasonal growth in August trade activity. The ports of Long Beach and Seattle, major transfer points for Asia to U.S. ocean container traffic each reported unremarkable inbound volumes, while the port of Savannah on the east coast recorded the lowest volumes since February.”

“‘What is interesting is that the August numbers are healthy given the economic headwinds, and these numbers reflect decisions that were made in the midst of economic turmoil,’ said Green. ‘Despite that turmoil, it looks like retailers…were actually betting on a healthy holiday season.’”

“According to a shipment analysis we conducted in our import tracker Panjiva Trends, there were 14 shipments of Missoni goods into the United States in August — the time during which shipments would arrive to be on store shelves for the Sept. 13 launch. However, as of the 15th of September, only one shipment of Missoni goods has arrived this month.”

“Despite all the chatter about moving beyond China, however, the portended exodus is more of a trickle. And Chinese exports have not waned. To the contrary, the country’s exports surged 20 percent in the first half of 2011 over the same period last year. Here in the United States, the trade deficit with China has only widened, suggesting that Americans are more shackled to China than ever.”

“‘The shipment numbers are pretty good although we are still facing significant headwinds,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘That said, it is hard to have a lot of optimism for the second half of this year, but if history is any guide we are likely to see more seasonal increases from July to August.’”

“On other fronts, the Smurfs are faring somewhat better. U.S. ports received 79 shipments last month of Smurfs-related toys, apparel and other merchandise, according to Panjiva Inc., which tracks imports. While that represented a 19-fold increase from the same month last year, it was far below the 421 shipments of ‘Cars 2′ merchandise imported the month before its theatrical release in June of this year.”

“Panjiva CEO Josh Green said this huge jump shows that stores are making a pretty substantial bet that Angry Birds merchandise will be hot sellers..’Some of these Angry Birds products are absolutely school related,’ Green said.”

“’The economy appears to be treading water,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green. ‘The month-to-month data is where it has been in recent years. But these numbers are at the same time disappointing for anyone hoping for robust growth as we move into a season when holiday workers arrive.’”

“The panel featured representatives from LexisNexis, The Body Shop and Panjiva and addressed how every business can tackle modern-day slavery, whether through supply chain management; allocating business capital to assist non-governmental organizations; or human resources training.”

“Shipping records from Panjiva, a firm that researches global trade, corroborate that Sagar Grandhi did, in fact, export while it was red listed more than a million pounds of shrimp to the U.S. through Los Angeles, Long Beach, Newark, New York, Seattle and Savannah. ”

“With debt concerns in Europe, debt ceiling drama in the U.S., and a recent spate of weak economic news, the outlook for the global economy feels uncertain at best. And, unfortunately, corporate buyers have to make decisions about their holiday purchases now, in this moment of uncertainty. This does not bode well for global trade activity in late Q3 and early Q4”

“Panjiva, a proprietary search engine that helps companies of all sizes check out overseas suppliers, has hit some major milestones since we featured it near the end of 2010. It recently launched a new service called Trendspotting, which helps clients—many of whom are ‘panicking’ about rising labor costs in China, according to co-founder Josh Green—figure out which nations they should be sourcing from now.”

“Surprisingly, according to numbers compiled for EW by global trade experts Panjiva, it comes second to another popular Pixar brand, Toy Story. Panjiva, which uses the number of monthly shipments to determine a brand’s popularity, notes that, at its peak, a total of 409 shipments of Cars 2 merchandise was imported in May 2011.”

“’I would describe this data as solid but seasonal growth,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green. ‘If you look back on previous years from April to May, we always see growth. In 2008, April to May growth was up 6 percent and up 3 percent in 2009, and in 2010 it was 12 percent. As healthy as 8 percent is, it is still not on the level we saw a year ago at this time.’”

“’There is a danger in looking at the top line export numbers and assuming we are in a strong recovery mode,’ said Green. ‘Looking at the data it looks like oil and petroleum-based products saw the most growth in Q1 [up 63 percent from Q4 2010 at nearly $10.8 billion] and that says our oil industry is alive and well; it does not speak to a broad-based manufacturing recovery.’”

“In April, there was an unexpectedly large increase in China’s trade surplus. This could lead to more calls in the U.S. for protectionist remedies – which of course would be bad news for those of us involved in global trade, not to mention the economy as a whole. Stay tuned.”

“The webinar is led by an expert on advising purchasing executives on supply chain risk management, Josh Green, the co-founder & CEO of Panjiva, and focuses on: – Everything you need to know in 60 minutes about how to conduct a supply chain risk evaluation and best protect your company from supply chain disturbances this year..”

“The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries, today announced the winners of the prestigious CODiE Awards for products and services in the business software industry… Best Supply Chain Management Solution: Panjiva”

“Earlier this month, Panjiva reported that its global trade tracking index was up, showing solid seasonal growth. According to their analysis, April saw a ‘healthy bump’ in global trade activity with the ‘number of waterborne shipments coming into the U.S’ experiencing ‘a 7% month-over-month increase from March to April.’”

“But ‘the amount of “Winnie the Pooh” movie merchandise has decreased by 38 percent from March to April,’ Panjiva said. ‘Even with a major movie coming out and the existing brand caché, shipments have not spiked.’”

“While Mr. Green of Panjiva appreciates the value of the year and a half that he and his staff spent at Rose Tech, he doesn’t think that incubators are the missing links in helping startups succeed. ‘Show me a startup that has worked because it participated in a really good speaker series,’ Mr. Green said.”

“‘The manufacturing sector is stronger than it has been in some time, but I am not a believer in the manufacturing-led economy, as strength in manufacturing is a bet that consumer confidence will grow,’ said Green. ‘If that does not materialize, a manufacturing-led economy will disappear quite quickly—and any gains in the manufacturing sector will end up being temporary. There won’t be the demand to justify the supply.’”

“‘At a time when everybody is either doing business internationally or talking about doing business internationally, how can there not be a go-to source for reliable information on all these companies that constitute the global supply base,’ says Green. ‘So that’s what we set out to build with Panjiva.’”

“‘That’s all I’ve been hearing from them over the past year, is concern verging on panic about the changing cost structure in China,’ [Green] said. ‘That has led to the hunt for the next China, which is a fool’s errand.’”

“All Panjiva applications are web-based, so users can access them from any computer with Internet access. In addition, almost no implementation is required. ‘You can be up and running the minute you put your credit card [information] in,’ Green says.”

“‘The most likely explanation for the decline in bunny shipments is the more general shift in consumer spending from discretionary items to basics,’ Panjiva’s CEO, Josh Green, told me (yes, we share a name–also rugged good looks). ‘That said, there is a chance that we’re seeing the early indications of a rise in anti-bunny-ism.’”

“These days, in addition to bunny futures, Panjiva’s research tracks detailed information from multiple data sources on 1.5 million companies in 190 countries. Recent results on the website show a modest uptick in global trade activity in March, for example, and you can check a product, say, wool sweaters, in the TrendSpotting feature to see sales movements in the global marketplace.”

“Sourcing executives across the nation are scrambling to learn the ropes in this strange and unpredictable world, where China — once home to cheap labor and rock-bottom costs — has lost its luster. How you navigate through today’s uncertain sourcing landscape is key to the survival of every sourcing organization — and those that can be nimble, adaptable and versatile will thrive.”

“’This is a seasonal decline and it nothing to be too concerned about,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘It is perhaps a little steeper than what we would have expected, but February has a few things working against it: 1-from a seasonal point of view, it tends to be a low point for global trade; 2-it is a shorter month, with fewer shipments coming in; and 3-it is the Chinese New Year.’”

“According to Panjiva, shipments of Guinness for early 2011 are up 244 percent from the same period last year as shipments rebound from a ‘quiet 2010′ when there were ‘less than impressive import numbers.’”

“’These numbers are certainly a pleasant surprise,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘I think it suggests the December numbers really represented a blip, and that we are not at the leading edge of a significant downturn, which is great news.””

“’When you’re at a point when people can’t imagine what it was like before you, you have disrupted things,’ says Josh Green, president and co-founder of Panjiva, a young Manhattan-based company that, with its technology platform, hopes to transform the way companies buy and sell goods and supplies globally.”

“The tool intelligently sorts and organizes U.S. Census Bureau data, presenting a view of which countries or regions regularly export a particular item. Trendspotting integrates with Panjiva Search to enable users to identify specific suppliers within a matter of clicks, the vendor said.”

“A repeat winner, Green has continued to demonstrate innovation and vision with Panjiva’s technology, which simplifies complex government data in a way that provides sourcing executives with useable and actionable information for identifying new sourcing regions and suppliers.”

“Companies ‘who really push their suppliers hard are taking a short-term view that has potentially negative long-term consequences,’ says Josh Green, founder and CEO of Panjiva, a New York based firm that provides information for retailers and importers seeking new sources of production.”

“’Panjiva is building the go-to search engine for sourcing teams by capitalizing on opportunities to make powerful—yet underutilized—data more accessible,’ said Brad Cater, lead developer of Panjiva Trendspotting. ‘Panjiva has already tapped Customs data to provide insight into specific suppliers; now, we’re using Census data to examine the macro trends shaping global trade where those suppliers operate.’”

“More likely, importers bet on a decent holiday season, but had no idea what to expect post holiday season – and therefore opted not to order significant quantities for post-holiday arrival until they had clarity on how the holiday season unfolded.”

“My questions when talking with Josh centered more on the technical intelligence aspect of the new platform or, as Josh called it, ‘the why’s’ in terms of the data Panjiva provides. For example, Panjiva delivers to its users a high level view of purchasing /trade activity from a global perspective for specific products that can be acquired through its data base of 800,000 suppliers spanning 190 countries.”

“Specifically, Panjiva’s Josh Green suggests that in 2011, ‘Sourcing Teams Will Again Be Investing (Not Just Holding on For Dear Life).’ What areas are likely to be the greatest beneficiaries of this new investment? Josh proffers that geographic trend analysis to help ‘sourcing teams to understand the sourcing landscape and be able to conduct supplier due diligence across a wide variety of geographies’ will combine with cost analysis, supplier collaboration and process improvement focused on engineering-based cost take out to help drive a new chapter in global sourcing in 2011.”

“Early into this year, Green said that most businesses are confident that the economy is in a stable place as far as demand goes, with more concern focusing on the trajectory of costs of things like labor and raw materials, which are heading up, and pose a concern that consumers are not going to accept price increases, with businesses having to accept lower margins. “

“It is very difficult for most companies to pass on higher prices, given still-low levels of consumer confidence, said Josh Green, chief executive of Panjiva, which provides data and analysis on overseas suppliers to manufacturers and retailers. Few companies have the ability to charge premium prices for their products like Apple Inc does, Green said. Most will choose to protect market share rather than try to boost margins, he predicted.”

“’Here in the U.S., there are a number of tools that can be developed that give you visibility of your suppliers,’ says CEO Josh Green of Panjiva (www.panjiva.com). ‘Unfortunately, when you are dealing with foreign suppliers, visibility is uneven at best.’

“‘What we are seeing now is the typical seasonal trajectory,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘What is going to be more telling in the next couple of months is how steep the drop is, with typically February being the bottoming out month for how low it will go.’”

“The China ride was euphoric while it lasted, spoiling us with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of cheap labor and rock-bottom costs. But with so much at stake now, it’s important to think outside the China box.”

“With a proprietary search engine, it helps companies of all sizes check out overseas suppliers—“a Google for global trade,” as Panjiva dubs itself. Among other juicy details, its searches can reveal which vendors one’s competitors are using and which companies are on government “blacklists.””

“‘These numbers were not terribly surprising,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘In previous years, September to October has been flat or slightly up, and this year we were definitively down.’”

“To the extent that it helps the U.S. economy either remain stable or grow, is likely to have a positive impact… that’s not going to stop people from criticizing the move and seeing in it a bit of hypocrisy.”

“Supply chain professionals should seek logistics providers who can be flexible, be generous with information and be clear about how they can help. Do these things, and you—and your supply chain partners—will excel in a ‘no next China’ world.”

“‘This data is not terribly alarming,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green. ‘It is in line with seasonal patterns we have seen in previous years. I would have been surprised if the numbers looked better than they did.’”

“Just as Google allows users to mine critical data through a user-friendly search engine, Panjiva is applying a similar concept to global trade information. Its newest supply chain intelligence platform provides up-to-the-minute snapshots of which global suppliers are doing business with whom, as well as key data on the health of suppliers based on changes in container volume. “

“Panjiva, a provider of information on global manufacturers for sourcing executives, has released the latest version of its supply-chain intelligence platform. The vendor has added natural-language search functionality, enabling users to type a query in the same format they would use in a traditional search engine.”

“Panjiva mines data from a variety of public and private sources and then turns it into information that is useful for global supply chain managers. It’s a real-time source of data that should enable companies to figure out supply and demand changes — like the effect of a Verizon iPhone on the accessories market.”

“As Josh puts it, the new user experience/search capability ‘now makes it hard to have a negative experience using the service’ the first time out, even for users who have no idea what they’re doing…If only all of the other source-to-pay tools that we review and work with could have such a similar philosophy!”

“Speaking with Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, an online search engine with detailed information on global suppliers and manufacturers, we found an enlightened voice: ‘As trade professionals we understand the benefits of unfettered commerce,’ he said. ‘But try telling that to someone who has been out of work for some time.’”

“CEO Josh Green just wrote a blog post on one of bedbugs’ big beneficiaries, the makers of mattress protectors. According to Panjiva’s data, shipments of these these puppies have nearly tripled in the last three months.”

“According to a business intelligence firm called Panjiva, shipments of mattress protectors have more than doubled in the past year, from 212 shipments during the last three months versus 89 shipments for the same period a year ago. These protectors are designed to keep mattresses safe from dreaded bed-bug infestations, Panjiva notes.”

“Import increases for August were recorded across the U.S., according to a recent report on global trade from New York-based Panjiva Inc., which tracks that information for an international client base.”

“‘Logic problems like that one show you how people think on their feet,’ says Psota, [Panjiva]’s Chief Technology Officer. He’s also likely to invite a candidate over to the ping-pong table. ‘It lets me see if they’re competitive, or are they too nice?’”

“‘One of the hardest things to do as an entrepreneur is be honest with yourself,’ says Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, an NYC-based firm that helps companies evaluate potential suppliers. If you’re not, ‘you’re sunk.’”

“‘These results feel like the economy is treading water, which, all things considered, is not terrible,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green in an interview. ‘But we are certainly not seeing any signs of a robust recovery.’”

“A recent column by Josh Green, CEO of the sourcing intelligence service, Panjiva, offered some frank analysis of the situation: ‘In attempting to identify China’s successor, it’s worth revisiting the ingredients to China’s success: pro-trade government policy, solid infrastructure, and a huge, underemployed labor pool,’ says Green. ‘There is no ‘Next China,’ because there is no country in the world that has these three key ingredients.’”

“Although Josh Green, Panjiva’s CEO, takes a cautious tone in the post because of ‘fears about weak U.S. consumer spending, European debt, and rising input costs in China,’ there is more good news around June’s data than just a slight upswing.”

“So the smart folks over at Panjiva, which analyze global supply-chain data, set out to see just ‘how quickly an ecosystem would grow up around the iPad.’ The virtual one has already materialized: The App Store, for instance, sells more than 11,000 apps specifically for the iPad. “

‘“Global trade activity according to our data is essentially right where it was two years ago just before the Great Recession,” said Green. “We have not experienced a bounce-back from the depths of 2009 back to pre-recession levels, and the question of where do we go from here is an open one.”’

“Look outside (not just in) when it comes to supplier and supply markets insight — consider the importance of working with third parties like D&B, Bureau van Dijk, Panjiva and others to gain early warning about supplier stability based on financial and operational (e.g., export shipment) data.”

“Prices of products made in China are rising. In the short term, this is bad news for consumers and businesses that buy products made in China (read: everyone). As a result, a lot of people in the manufacturing world are asking, ‘Where’s the ‘Next China?’”

“According to May 2010 import data, there were 2,093 fireworks shipments to the United States (from around the world) during the month alone. (A “shipment” is based on each customs slip with the item on it, which can vary in size, according to Panjiva.) The May 2010 numbers are roughly the same as last year, though up just a bit from 2008.”

“The company behind the transformation: Panjiva, a start-up that aims to bring order to the bewildering universe of international suppliers. ‘Trade is inefficient, and lack of information is a key source of that inefficiency,’ says Panjiva Chief Executive Josh Green. His firm parses, scrubs and compiles millions of shipping manifests every week in order to develop profiles of 1.5 million companies that American buyers can use to perfect their supply chains.”

“According to Panjiva, ‘The number of waterborne shipments coming into the U.S. saw a healthy 11% year-over-year increase in April.’ Moreover, ‘there was a 3% increase in the number of global manufacturers shipping to the U.S. market, as well as a 2% increase in the number of U.S. companies receiving waterborne shipments from global manufacturers,’ in April.”

“‘Our modest recovery right now is threatened by the chaos in the financial markets in Europe,’ said Green. ‘The overall signs are promising, but we are not in a recovery that is so robust that we are immune to the threat being created by the instability in Europe.’”

“To the extent that you can, start to lock in contracts with your Chinese suppliers, because when the currency changes, it’s going to be a binary situation — either your suppliers are going to have to bear the costs associated with the change in currency, or you are.”

“In addition to what Green calls ‘the most comprehensive set of suppliers out there,’ Panjiva offers ‘the search tools and the depth of information that allows them to identify that very small list of companies that best fit their needs. This process of developing a short list is incredibly fast and they can be confident they didn’t miss anybody.’”

“…the quality of low cost country information on suppliers is still not often on par with data available on Western suppliers in terms of forecast accuracy, completeness, etc., but certainly this type of information is better than nothing, especially when combined with sources like Panjiva that track customs and related export information from global markets.”

“From a global sourcing perspective, and when mapped against customs and import information from sources such as Panjiva, it can also provide insight into which low-cost country suppliers a company is working with that an organization may then want to consider for its own products. “

“Josh Green, chief executive of business intelligence firm Panjiva, said there would be limited positive jobs growth in the U.S. if Chinese exports were reduced. ‘The U.S. really isn’t competing with China,’ Green said. ‘China is churning out cheap goods that are in labor-intensive industries.’”

“While Panjiva does not literally describe itself as an ‘e-sourcing tool,’ Josh Green, current CEO of the online resource for executives seeking knowledge about suppliers and manufacturers around the world, describes his company as an automated system, one that collects and delivers the information of companies that are doing business across borders.”

“Panjiva’s insight here is that a lot of the things that make web search better also make searching for exporters better. Companies like Alibaba already have directories of millions of exporters. But when you search for a supplier for a specific type of product, it’s sort of like going back to the web before Google. For example, searching for ‘wool sweaters‘ returns a list of over 24,000 different contract manufacturers with no great way to rank them.”

“Panjiva’s Web site works. It can search records from 1.5 million companies in 190 countries. The technology also identifies trends, predicting whether a specific supplier might soon go belly up or projecting which products will be hot in the next holiday season.”

“Data released this week by Panjiva, an online search engine with detailed information on global suppliers and manufacturers, stated there was a 5 percent decline in the number of global manufacturers shipping to the U.S. from December 2009 to January 2010.”

“According to Panjiva, a website with global sourcing tools which allow for trend spotting, the bulk of imports this past twelve months for uncovered innerspring units still came from China which would suggest these Chinese exporters did not seek to avoid the duty”

“Josh Green, chief exec­utive of Panjiva, cautioned that the December data indicated only a tentative improvement in trade volumes. ‘I wouldn’t read too much into seeing that in terms of a sustained recovery.’”

“Panjiva Inc. looked at imports from August through October, a key time period for retailers preparing for the holiday shopping season, and found imports nationwide were down by 10 percent over the same period in 2008.”

“‘We are not seeing the same macroeconomic shocks to the system as we were a year ago, but we are still operating at a low level of absolute activity,’ explained Green. ‘The economy is still far from pointing to a robust recovery for global trade which is what we would all like to see.’”

“‘Winning this award from an organization that knows our industry so well is an enormous accomplishment and a reflection of the hard work and dedication of the entire Panjiva team,’ noted Panjiva CEO Josh Green’”

“As a final thought when it comes to Panjiva, I’ve come to value their openness and transparency when it comes to the sources of their data. When companies purchase supplier information, they’re not just purchasing a commodity’”

“In an announcement earlier this month, Panjiva shared the news that it was integrating six new data sources into its intelligence platform as part of its onPanjiva partner program. These six sources include D&B, Customs Info, Good Factories, Made-By, The American Apparel Producer’s Network and Trivista Sourcing.”

“Trade-tracking firm Panjiva noted that imports of hand sanitizer have skyrocketed amid fears of the H1N1 flu virus. When analyzed on a weight basis, there was a threefold increase in the amount of hand sanitizer shipped in the third quarter of 2009 — compared to the third quarter of 2008, the company said.”

“Check out the increase in shipments for hand sanitizer, as compiled by Panjiva. Either we’re doing a good job of protecting ourselves against the flu, or we’re in the process of creating the worst, bacteria-resistant bug ever, or both.”

“‘If the September decline in global trade is any indication, US companies aren’t expecting many items to fly off store shelves this holiday season,’ Green said. ‘However, it certainly seems that US companies are betting that swine flu will turn hand sanitizer into a holiday hit.’”

“Though retail spend is holding up, and the stock market is running off into the distance, Panjiva’s analysis of inbound purchased products to the US, representing a measure of global trade, suggests that organic demand in the economy remains weak. “

“Green added that part of what is happening with this data is that there is a level of caution from businesses as they look ahead to the holidays that do not want to have too much inventory on hand like last year.”

“It’s not too often that you see true creativity on a continuous basis in the procurement space… [But Panjiva] has risen to the forefront of the market from a mindshare and ideas perspective in just a matter of months… I’m pulling for them, because if they can make [onPanjiva] work, it will have a tremendous positive impact on procurement organizations when it comes to acquiring supplier content to better manage supplier information and supplier relationships.”

“Now, Panjiva is trying to make its service more useful to a broader audience by allowing other companies to build their data — for paying customers, via an ‘app store’-like revenue sharing deal — into Panjiva’s search engine of global suppliers. Through August 31, the company is accepting nominations for its new onPanjiva program.”

“The new service, called onPanjiva, is letting any other data provider, such as governments, credit bureaus and non-profit organizations, apply to integrate its data with Panjiva’s service… For businesses looking to be included, Panjiva says it hopes to use its service to drive revenue to those partners.”

“The first company to nominate an information provider that ultimately publishes its information onPanjiva will receive one-year’s worth of free access to information from this provider. Information providers can also nominate themselves for inclusion onPanjiva.”

“Panjiva tracks overseas factories and their U.S. customers by indexing publicly available customs data. It’s a great way to keep track of where your competition is getting their products made and by whom.”

“Panjiva plans to launch a function this summer that will allow sources to apply to add data to the platform to create a richer pool and ‘democratize the availability of information,’ says Green. ‘There are a lot of companies doing innovative things and we’ll accomplish more by harnessing their innovations to serve clients.’”

“‘America led the global economy into a downturn; now, a sustained increase in the number of global companies serving the U.S. market suggests that America may be leading us out of the downturn,’ said Panjiva CEO Josh Green. ‘That said, anyone hoping for a quick recovery to pre-crisis levels of global trade is likely to be disappointed.’”

“‘Increasingly, it feels that the worst is behind us,’ says Josh Green, chief executive officer of the trade-tracking firm. Waxing cautious, however, he adds ‘Still, we have a long way to get back to the pre-crisis level of global trade.’”

“Panjiva uses algorithms to clean up and analyze data to score suppliers on, for instance, whether business is growing, stable, or declining. ‘We take multiple data sources and triangulate them to see if they are telling you the same story,’ says Psota, 29, chief technology officer.”

“‘While some may interpret this data as a welcome sign that the global manufacturing economy has hit bottom and is rebounding, analysis of historical trends and additional shipment data points to a need for continued caution as significant risk still exists,’ Panjiva said.”

“New global trade data from Panjiva, a vendor that tracks the health of the world’s suppliers, shows that ‘after four months of free fall in the number of manufacturers shipping to American customers, there have been small increases from February 2009 to March, and then from March to April.’”

“Panjiva, which gathers objective information on global manufacturers, and Sinosure, a leading provider of credit information on companies in China, announced an exclusive relationship to provide U.S. companies with information designed to help them mitigate the risks of doing business overseas. ”

“Under the new deal, Panjiva will act as exclusive U.S. reseller of Sinosure’s credit reports on Chinese manufacturers, while Sinosure will serve as Panjiva’s exclusive provider of such reports. Together the partners have created Panjiva SinoScreen, a service designed to help U.S. companies determine which of their Chinese manufacturers are at greatest risk. ”

“The service [Panjiva SinoScreen] is particularly timely. And while many larger, more mature, organisations would be expected to carry out such analysis themselves, there is no harm in having a little bit of extra intelligence and data.”

“Leveraging various data sources, including U.S. customs data and credit information from Sinosure, Panjiva SinoScreen provides customers with an easy-to-interpret analysis of their Chinese supply chain.”

“A business class ticket from the US or Europe and a stay in a Western style hotel to visit a single supplier will probably cost you more than the price of admission [to Panjiva SinoScreen]. But a onetime profiling effort should never be a substitute for consistent and proactive monitoring overtime — nor, when it comes to China especially, should it substitute for continuously monitoring supplier performance management trends as well. ”

“For purchasing professionals working with vendors in China, a new innovative solution will help to reduce their company’s supply chain risk. Panjiva, the online resource for information on suppliers around the world and Sinosure, the leading provider of credit information on companies in China, have combined their efforts to launch Panjiva SinoScreen, which will assist U.S. companies to assess if any of their Chinese partners are at risk.”

“Panjiva offers reports on the importation data for thousands of suppliers that allow one to learn about fluctuations in a suppliers shipments to the U.S., their other product lines, and other customers. In this case, knowledge is power and with it, you obtain a much better view into your suppliers current situation and their impetus for trying to renegotiate terms. ”

“Based on these trends, I asked Josh for his view about how companies should use this information to take action to reduce their global supply risk. He responded that the ‘best approach is to do a deep dive on your key suppliers. Collect as much data as possible, from as many sources as possible, and assess which of these key suppliers are in danger of failing.’”

“Panjiva delivers knowledge on suppliers and manufacturers across the globe through its online resource for sourcing executives, providing transparency to overseas suppliers. The service uses a variety of public and proprietary sources, assimilating data to trend information of what has occurred.”

“What can you do about supplier disappearing acts? I’d recommend a healthy dose of supplier risk preventive medicine to start, using both internal performance and quality related information as well as proactive third-party content from providers like Panjiva and D&B.”

“’The second dimension of the merchandise problem could affect product availability in stores,’ said Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, a firm that advises leading U.S. retailers such as Home Depot on supply chain risks.”

“We took a look at the suppliers that were still active as of the end of 2008… [C]ompanies that suffered a 50% or greater decline in the volume shipped to their American customers.. are on Panjiva’s Watch List, as they are in the greatest danger of going under.”

“However, there’s good news for supply chain managers who are willing to confront risk head-on. While risk can never be eliminated, it can be significantly reduced through the intelligent application of information.”

“By analyzing the data, both quantity, content, and frequency, Panjiva can discover information describing how supply chains are performing, as well as the overall economic cycle with respect to purchasing patterns of US firms. ”

“The Panjiva Pain Index, a measure of the risk present in the global supply chain, stood at 43 at the end of October, up from 24 at the end of July. Panjiva CEO Josh Green says these numbers ‘paint a frightening picture’ of the state of the world’s suppliers.”

“[Panjiva] has developed a proprietary algorithm that allows it to take the usually very messy and raw shipment data from sources such as the U.S. customs, clean it up, and then analyze it to determine get a better understanding of the global manufacturing systems.”

“At Panjiva, we call this state of affairs, “The Great Squeeze” — because companies are finding themselves squeezed by several forces ostensibly beyond their control. Undoubtedly, some companies will not survive The Great Squeeze — most likely those that employ the Deer in Headlights strategy: doing nothing in the face of danger. In contrast, survivors will take aggressive action to address the manageable aspects of The Great Squeeze.”

“‘There are manufacturers in China that employ highly-skilled workers who can produce goods that measure up against what’s made in the U.S. or Western Europe,’ says Josh Green, chief executive of Panjiva.com, a Web-based service with offices in New York and Shanghai.”

“’Our belief is that it’s unnecessarily difficult to do business across borders and it’s so important in today’s world, and we want to make it easier,’ Green said. ‘Panjiva cuts down the time and cost of trying to find a supplier, and it helps you monitor your existing suppliers.’”